From Jan. 1, Cary's Citizen's Convenience Center will take only food and yard waste. Take trash and recycling to Wake County's sites in Morrisville or Apex.

Cary’s Citizen’s Convenience Center will stop taking household trash and recycling on Jan. 1. Residents will still be able to drop off food waste and yard waste, the Town of Cary says.

Until then, the center on North Dixon Avenue stays open as usual through Dec. 31. Curbside pickup is not affected.

The town set out the change on its Citizen’s Convenience Center page and in its November 2026 BUD newsletter.

Why the center is changing

Most of the site sits in the North Carolina Railroad’s right-of-way. Federally funded rail improvements are planned there, and the town says its operations have to be moved off the right-of-way. That ends public access to the site as it works today.

When we checked the same page Oct. 11, it said the center would close to the public for good and that the Town Council had not picked an option. The page now says the council has evaluated service options and that food and yard waste drop-off will stay available to residents.

The town’s timeline:

  • October 2026: construction begins. The center stays open as usual.
  • Through Dec. 31, 2026: trash, recycling, food waste and yard waste are all still accepted.
  • From Jan. 1, 2027: only food and yard waste drop-off is open to residents.

The town has not said whether the food and yard waste drop-off will stay at the North Dixon Avenue site or move. Its page does not give hours for 2027 yet.

Where trash and recycling go from Jan. 1

The town points residents to two Wake County sites for everything else:

  • Wake County Convenience Center, Site 3: 266 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, about four miles north of Cary
  • Wake County Multi-Material Recycling Facility and Site 2: 6120 Old Smithfield Road, Apex, about five miles southwest

Wake County’s convenience centers are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. They close on major holidays, including Christmas Day, and at noon on Christmas Eve. They take household garbage, mixed recycling, flattened cardboard and scrap metal.

The county sites do not take yard waste, which is one reason Cary’s own drop-off still matters. The town says “fees may apply” at county disposal sites from Jan. 1. It does not say which.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes before Jan. 1. Use the Dixon Avenue center as usual until Dec. 31.
  • Your weekly trash and yard waste pickup and every-other-week recycling at the curb do not change.
  • From Jan. 1, take bagged trash, extra recycling and cardboard to the county site in Morrisville or Apex.
  • Food scraps and yard waste can still go to Cary’s own drop-off.
  • Leaves: the town’s loose-leaf collection rounds start Nov. 30 and Jan. 4. Brown paper yard waste bags also go out with weekly yard waste pickup.

Christmas week: the center is open 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Dec. 24, and closed Christmas Day. It reopens Saturday, Dec. 26, the town says. Curbside pickup runs as usual Dec. 21-24 and Dec. 28, with no pickup on Christmas Day.

Questions go to Cary 311: dial 311 in Cary, 919-469-4000 from outside town limits, or email 311@carync.gov. Our trash and recycling guide has pickup days, bulky item pickup and the county sites closest to Cary.